Smashing Makuta
by Maethorneth
Summary: England, present day. Tahu is a washed up vocalist with hopes of starting his own band. When he meets guitarist Kopaka, things start coming together for him. Rated T for violence and substance usage.
1. Chapter 1: The Jaga Nest

Chapter 1: The Jaga Nest

The bar was rank with the smell of tobacco and alcohol. A man in a leather jacket , aviator sunglasses and a red mask sat at one of the highest bar tops, drinking a large mug of Daxian ale; drinking like a man who had spent a very long time in the desert and had become very thirsty with a hankering for alcoholic beverages. Daxia was a village in England dedicated solely to the brewing of ale. Only the best ale was ever produced there. The name of the bar was the Jaga Nest, and the man in the red mask was Tahu, an up and coming vocalist. He hadn't sung with a group or had any gigs for months and his money was running out like a well going dry. He sat there, drinking and trying to think of ways to earn more money.

Every Tuesday at the Jaga Nest there was a new music act. There were many different styles of music, and Tahu had seen or participated in nearly all of them. He realized that he couldn't continue on his own as a vocalist; he needed some instrumentalists like a jalapeno needed spiciness. As time dragged on, the band prepared to play their setlist. Tahu watched intently as three musicians stepped onto the stage, two of which appeared to have the confidence of a goat being told to roar like a lion. The third, which Tahu noticed the most, had a white mask and wore a vest. He picked up the guitar that awaited him on stage. One sat on the drummer's stool and picked up the sticks. The other took his place in front of the microphone and, smiling nervously, spoke to the drunken audience.

"How ya'll doin' tonight?" he said. A few drunken shouts were his response. Tahu said nothing but intently watched the guitarist.

"Well," the group's vocalist continued, "We're gonna play some songs to send you home with." A few more drunken shouts were all the acknowledgement he received.

Shaking his head, he signaled the drummer who nodded back and began the count of "_1…2…3!"_

Then the music started; _Rock and Roll,_ by _Led Zeppelin_. The drummer and singer played well but it was the guitarist who caught everyone's attention. Even the crowd, who were as drunk as if they had consumed many pints and mugs of beer, could tell that the group's guitar player was far too skilled to be playing in such a small town band. The rest of the music seemed to go quiet, which it did as even his bandmates were mesmerized, when he broke into a solo. It was largely an improvised solo but it touched on nearly every note of the original and ran almost twice as long. Remembering what was happening, the drummer knocked out several fast rolls on the snare before the band resumed and finished the original song.

Tahu sat stunned. He had never witnessed any music like this before. The group's vocalist smiled; both he and the drummer had built confidence with that excellent start, the entire bar was standing, cheering, clapping, shouting and ordering more beer. The guitarist stood still, watching the crowd expressionlessly. Tahu could see, though, that he was not quite expressionless; it seemed to Tahu that there was a gleam in his eye that told he knew it was him they were cheering for, not the others.

"Thank you!" the singer said. "How about another?"

Everyone in the bar cheered; the vocalist signaled the drummer and the drummer counted off again: "_1…2…3!" _and he smacked the stick on the snare twice, beginning _Man in the Box _by _Alice in Chains_. The crowd watched and Tahu noticed several guitar bits that weren't in the original song, mostly bends and a few hammer-ons, bits of flare that showed the guitarist's playing style. It seemed to scream to Tahu that he wanted so badly to be playing original compositions rather than classic songs known by everyone. When the time for the guitar solo came, the guitar player went into it like a madman. Again it was mostly improvised with several bends and hammer-ons and new notes not previously present. It still touched all the major notes and riffs of the original solo. It ran nearly three times as long as it should have.

It was at this point, when the solo seemed to be drawing to a close; that the lights went out, the drums ceased and the entire guitar was set ablaze simultaneously. Notes were produced from his guitar, the likes of which had never been heard before, that are almost impossible to describe. It began sounding like _Eddie Van Halen's_ _Eruption_; fast-paced and a great example of shred guitar playing. It turned into more fast hammering on and improvisation; everyone was equally surprised by the guitarist's talent. The solo went on until the guitar had been burned down to nothing more than charcoal and hot metal. As the last few notes died out, the lights came back on and the band was nowhere to be seen.

There was much cheering to be heard in the Jaga Nest that night, so much so that the police were called out and arrested half the patrons for disturbing the peace. Tahu was not present to witness that scene. He finished off the last of his drink and walked back-stage where the band were lounging around, high-fiving amongst themselves and talking excitedly about how well they had done. They stopped when they saw Tahu, half-drunk himself.

"Hello," he began, gruffly but smiling. "My name is Tahu."

"Um, hi," the vocalist said. "I'm Gresh, these are my boys Tarix and Kopaka."

Tarix, the drummer, and Kopaka, the guitarist, proceeded to shake hands with Tahu.

"Pleasure to meet you," he said. "I'm a vocalist. Well I was. I haven't had much work recently, and I'm down to my last widgets. I couldn't help but notice the talent you have and, well; I'm afraid I must be blunt: I want to join your band."

"Well," Gresh began, unsure of what to say. "We'll have to discuss it amongst ourselves and then—"

"How well do you sing?" Tarix asked.

Tahu smiled and began one of his favorite original compositions:

_The darkness comes_

_It's here to stay_

_There's nothing to do_

_But sit and play_

_My guitar,_

_My guitar_

Kopaka, who had been tuning an acoustic guitar this whole time, immediately caught on to the tune and began a chord progression, Dm, Am and Em. It was simple but it provided the proper tone for the song as Kopaka joined in the second part.

_When trouble comes_

_With each new day_

_The thing I like_

_Is to sit and play_

_My guitar,_

_My guitar_

Gresh and Tarix were still partially skeptical but the fact their guitarist had joined in the song he had never heard made them less reluctant.

"Here's my card," Tahu began and produced a card from one of his pockets. "Give us a ring when you've had the proper time to—"

"You're hired." Kopaka said, the first words anyone had heard him utter that night. Though on the outside he seemed to show no emotion, on the inside he was quite excited, believing that Tahu could be his ticket to playing more than just covers.

Of course, Kopaka could not be argued with, his bandmates had learned that the hard way. Kopaka was as stubborn as person who would not let anything happen unless it happened the way they wanted it to. Gresh and Tarix were not thrilled to have Tahu join their ranks but at this point nothing could be done. Gresh, especially, was worried that he would ultimately be replaced by Tahu, who was a vastly better singer than he.

Tahu smiled and left the bar, walking across the street to his apartment. He had a guitarist; he also had a singer and a drummer he didn't need but he would find a way to get rid of them. As he lay on his bed that evening, he hoped the rest of his band could be found as easily.


	2. Chapter 2: Voya Nui Music Fest

Chapter 2: Voya Nui Music Fest

Tahu sat with the rest of his small band, simply called Spherus, preparing for Voya Nui Music Fest. Kopaka sat alone, tuning a guitar for his crew to put on the stage. Gresh and Tahu were discussing lyrics and other trivial matters. Tarix simply pounded out some fills and beats on a practice pad to warm up. Voya Nui Music Fest was no noteworthy accomplishment for any band, but nearly everyone who made it big began with a show at VNMF. Only a few hundred people were ever in attendance and usually three or four bands played. Spherus was scheduled to play second with a group called The Manas scheduled to close the show.

The Manas were a semi-successful band having recorded one album which reached 192.5 on the Metru Nui Top 193 Chart. Everyone agreed that the Manas possessed one of the most talented drummers in the music industry, his name was Pohatu. They also had a skilled guitarist, named Lewa, who could play lead, rhythm, or even duet guitar styles. He could play many different styles of music but he wasn't specialized in any specific genre. Tahu was sure that Kopaka was better than him but with Lewa's versatility and Kopaka's soloing capabilities, they would make an excellent team; especially if they played alternating solos, something well within both of their abilities. It would be no small task convincing Lewa and Pohatu to leave the Manas but if he succeeded, Tahu would be well on his way to fame and money.

Voya Nui Music Fest commenced, and the first band was mediocre, to say the least. Usually, the Music Fest coordinators put the less talented bands or the bands nobody had heard of first to "Let them be heard," the coordinators said. Everyone knew, however, that it was really only because everyone remembered the last act more than the first act.

Tahu somehow managed to drag Kopaka away from tuning and talk to him one on one.

"I know you don't want to stay with Spherus your entire career," Tahu said. "You've got talent, I can see it. You and I can become famous. The Manas play right after us and they have a drummer and a guitarist—"

"No," Kopaka said coldly. He turned to leave but Tahu grabbed him by the shoulder.

"What do you mean 'no'?" He said, turning the guitarist around to face him.

"I won't share the stage with another guitar player," Kopaka said. This was the most explaining anyone had ever heard him to do.

"The crowd will love it, for crying out loud!" Tahu shouted as Kopaka turned to leave again. "Will you at least try it? Just one show, with a single alternating solo with Lewa; if you don't like it, we won't hire him."

Kopaka slowed and finally stopped. "Look," he said turning back toward Tahu. "I didn't hire you so you could use me to start a new band. I may not want to stick with Spherus the rest of my life, or even the next five minutes; but I won't share the stage with another guitarist." And with that, he stormed off leaving Tahu speechless.

"He'll break," Tahu said to himself. If there was one thing Tahu could do besides sing, it was break someone down until they agreed with him. He checked his watch; five minutes until Spherus was scheduled to perform. He went to his dressing room and donned his typical worn out leather jacket and aviator sunglasses.

Five minutes later, Spherus stood, waiting to step out on the stage to do what they did best. The first act came off the stage and whispered "Good luck," to Tahu as the event's MC made a few jokes and called out the next band. It was still light outside, even though the sun was setting but Kopaka knew there would be no burning guitars for this show.

The crowd cheered as one by one, the members of Spherus stepped onto the stage. Tahu and Gresh took their places, center-stage, at each of two microphones. Tarix sat on his drumming stool and picked up his sticks. Kopaka readied his guitar and made sure it was tuned one last time before performing. Spherus had no original compositions planned for the night but Kopaka would certainly be playing improvised solos.

"Hello Voya Nui!" Tahu shouted.

"Are ya'll ready to hear some noise?" Gresh asked of the crowd.

They erupted into screams and clapping, a few even whistled. Gresh nodded at Tahu who signaled the Tarix who began the count: "_1…2…3!" _at which point he began to tap rhythmically on the hi-hat and Kopaka joined it with a few odd notes which served as an intro to an embellished version of the intro to _Sweet Home Alabama _by _Lynyrd Skynyrd._

Kopaka played it flawlessly, throwing in a few of his own embellishments and licks before he played the first solo. As always, the solo was filled with improvisation but it touched on every note in the original. The song continued on until the next solo came around, which ran easily thrice as long as the original in Kopaka's signature style. When the solo ended and the chorus came around again, the entire crowd joined in the singing. The amps and speakers were as loud as was possible, and the crowd's singing could be heard for miles around. Finally the time came to end the song, despite the passion with which the crowd was singing. Kopaka looked to the others of the group who acknowledged him; this was his signal that he was going to do a large amount of improvisation. To close out the song, Kopaka began the notes of what would normally have been the piano solo, but since no piano was present, a guitar would do the job.

No one knows exactly how long Kopaka played the guitar that evening, but he well exceeded the time allotted to Spherus. Nobody complained though, as he played tastefully and many different tunes. Tarix tried to improvise drum lines and fills to stay with him but Kopaka had a plan. Gresh stood helplessly; he had not expected Kopaka to solo for such a long time. Tahu picked up on Kopaka's plan soon after it was put into action. Kopaka played while Tahu improvised lyrics and just when the other two started to catch on, they would change to a new rhythm. Even though on the outside Kopaka showed no emotion, he was certainly smiling on the inside.

Eventually Kopaka and Tahu brought their improvisation to a slow and well executed halt. Gresh had left the stage angrily halfway through the improvisation and Tarix had thrown his sticks into the crowd and buried his face in his hands in frustration. Kopaka shot Tahu a glance and Tahu smiled back. They had effectively done enough to make Gresh and Tarix want to leave the band. The crowd cheered wildly and Tahu bowed while Kopaka stood stoically.

"Thank you!" Tahu said. "We hope you enjoyed the show!" and with that, he took his sunglasses and tossed them into the crowd before walking off the stage with Kopaka. Tarix eventually stood up and walked off the stage as well, all the while shaking his head.

Tahu smiled at every member of the Manas who just glared back at him. Back in their break room, Gresh and Tarix were engaged in an argument with Kopaka and Tahu.

"You made us look bad!" Gresh shouted at them. "We let you in, and you turned one of our own against us!"

"He was already contemplating leaving the group." Tahu said.

Tarix and Gresh were appalled.

"Dude," Tarix said with tears welling up in his eyes, "how could you leave us? We were like a family! It's Tahu's fault! We were fine until he showed up!"

Tarix tore out of the room, crying into his hands.

Gresh watched until Tarix was out of the room before turning back to Tahu.

"You're fired!" he said before turning to Kopaka. "And you? You're welcome to do whatever the heck it is you want." Gresh turned and stormed out of the room, cursing under his breath. The door shut and Tahu burst into laughter and turned to Kopaka to give him a high-five. Kopaka was emotionless as always and just stared into Tahu's eyes silently.

"Right," Tahu said, lowering his hand. "Let's go watch the last act."

Tahu exited the backstage area and joined the rest of the crowd to watch the Manas perform their final song: _Spoonman _by _Soundgarden_. They played it excellently, even by Tahu's very high standards. Lewa played the guitar solo note for note. Although he did not have the improvisation skill that Kopaka possessed, it was still played excellently before the last note gave way to the greatest drum solo Tahu had ever heard in a live concert. Pohatu kept the beat and the basis for the original solo however he filled over all that with his double bass drums and multiple crash and ride cymbals. Over six tom-toms were abused by the sticks and the heavy hitting until some of the heads began to rip. Along with this, he performed several tricks as he played such as tossing one stick and playing with a hand or tossing both sticks and playing with both hands. The crowd roared with delight when both sticks were in the air and he began bashing his head into the various drums. When the solo was finished, the rest of the band, who had been provided a sort of rhythm and audience interaction by clapping to the beat, jumped back in and played the last line of the song. At the end of the song, the band improvised a final send-off, Lewa picked out a simple solo while Pohatu beat the remains of his drum-set, as if he were beating someone into submission, until it began to collapse. When this last improvisation was finished, the entire band destroyed their instruments and tossed the remains into the crowd before coming to the front of the stage and bowing.

Tahu was as amazed as a person who had seen something they had never seen anything like prior to seeing it. This was the greatest concert he had witnessed in many years. He was more determined than ever to recruit Pohatu and Lewa into his band. He ran backstage as quickly as he could, taking care not to spill the beer that had seemingly just appeared in his hand. As he ran around to the back, he saw Lewa dressed in a tie-dye shirt and a headscarf, smoking what appeared to be a very large cigarette; not quite large enough to be a cigar, but too large to be a cigarette. Tahu identified the smell immediately: it was Morbuzakh, a commonplace drug amongst the current Turaga movement.

Turaga were a group of people who were known for wearing bright and flashy clothing, promoting peace and happiness, spending considerable time in nature, wanting to preserve the environment, and smoking illicit narcotics. Lewa was a self-proclaimed Turaga, and he certainly acted the part although he was never publicly seen using any form of drugs until now. Tahu had had his fair share of experience with Morbuzakh, but he had only used it a few times and hadn't had contact with it in several years.

"Lewa, I presume?" Tahu asked before taking a swig of his beer.

"Yes," Lewa replied, "Lewa, mystery-king of know-nothingness, that's me!"

"Lovely title," Tahu replied, slightly annoyed at the unprofessional air that seemed to surround Lewa. "I just wanted to ask you some questions."

"Questions," Lewa repeated slowly, taking a puff at his cigarette. "Let me check with my agent."

Lewa turned around and began to talk with himself in muffled voices back and forth.

"So, he wants to ask you some questions, eh?"

"Yeah, should I let him?"

"I think as long as he doesn't question you about your love life, you'll be fine."

"Love life?"

"Yeah, love life!"

"Since when do I have a love life?"

"Wait, you don't have a love life?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Are you high?"

"Are _you_ high?"

"I asked you first."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did not."

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"I'm not getting anywhere with you. I quit."

"Fine, leave then."

"Fine, I'm gone."

"Go!"

"I already left!"

"Get out of here!"

"I'm not here anymore!"

"Who's trying to kill you mister donut man?"

"What?"

Tahu was beginning to lose hope that he would ever get anywhere with Lewa. He began to leave when Lewa took a puff from his cigarette before throwing on the ground and stamping it out.

"Hey man," he said. Tahu turned to face Lewa. "My agent quit so I guess I'll have to decide if you can talk to me or not."

"Well could you decide a little faster please?" Tahu asked.

"Sure thing, fire away," Lewa replied.

Tahu rolled his eyes and said: "I couldn't help but notice you play guitar quite tastefully. I also couldn't help but notice your bandmates are not in the same boat as yourself. You are a much better player than they are."

"You're probably right, man," Lewa said. "Everyone else is OK, but I feel like my skills are kind of suppressed when I play with them. Except Pohatu. He's the only one where I really feel like we're on the same page. We have different playing styles but, you know man, I feel like I'm free to be myself when I play with him. The other guys are holding back, man."

"Those were exactly my thoughts!" Tahu said. "What if I told you, there was a band who was looking for a talented guitar player and drummer and who has musicians already on the same page as yourselves?"

"Really man?" Lewa asked.

"Yes," Tahu replied. "Here's the catch, the offer only stands if both you and Pohatu leave the Manas and join my band."

"I dunno, man," Lewa said. "The Manas provide a steady income for me and all that. I don't know if I really want to leave them for some new band that hasn't even really gotten started."

"True," Tahu said, "but don't you want to be part of the founding of the greatest rock-band in history? We'll make more money than you could ever make with the Manas."

"When you put it like that, man," Lewa began, "it sounds really groovy. I'll talk to Pohatu and see what he thinks of the offer."

"Sounds like a plan," Tahu said.

Lewa ran inside the backstage building, followed closely by Tahu but Lewa's jogging outpaced Tahu's walking greatly. Tahu returned to find Kopaka, improvising on an acoustic guitar. When they were still in Spherus, which was only an hour ago but felt like months, they played several small shows and after every show Kopaka would sit around playing simple chord progressions and tunes on his acoustic guitar. It was no surprise to find him here and when Tahu walked in he said, with a sly smile:

"Lewa and Pohatu."


	3. Chapter 3: A Manager

Chapter 3: A Manager

Kopaka was furious.

"I can't believe you did this without my approval!" he shouted. His outburst was completely surprising to Tahu, who knew that Kopaka rarely, if ever, showed his emotions.

"Look, two people don't make a good band," Tahu said. "Lewa doesn't have to play those epic solos like you can; I don't even think he's capable of your level of improvisation. But we need a drummer. And Pohatu won't come without Lewa, I'm sure. They're like best friends."

"There is more than one drummer in the world." Kopaka said.

"But are there any this _good?_" Tahu asked.

Kopaka was silent. For the first time, Kopaka could not think of a reply. Kopaka was always full of words but he rarely liked to let them forth from his mouth. The most he could muster was an angry sigh.

"I'm not happy about it," he said, "but I can live with it. For now." He added after a pause.

At this moment there was a knock on the door but before either Tahu or Kopaka could answer it, Lewa and Pohatu burst through it excitedly.

"Here we are!" Pohatu said.

"Welcome!" Tahu said. "This is a start."

"They'll soon be closing down the place, we better meet somewhere else," Lewa said.

"Let's go to the Jaga Nest," Tahu suggested.

"Yeah," Pohatu added, "They have good beer and the ladies aren't too shabby either." He elbowed Lewa and winked at Tahu with that last line.

"Only one problem," Tahu said, "we don't have a ride."

"That's alright, man," Lewa said, "we can take my bus."

The bus ride was horrible. Not even Pohatu, who was great friends with Lewa, approved of the driving. _Never drive under the influence of anything, _Tahu silently reminded himself. There weren't many potholes on the main streets in England but Lewa managed to drive over every last one of them. _He is American though,_ Tahu thought. _Everyone knows their driving standards are lax._ On top of his poor driving, Lewa's VW Bus was in terrible condition. The upholstery had been torn to pieces, neither the air conditioning nor the heater worked, there were holes in the floor boards and the entire vehicle wreaked of Morbuzakh and or alcoholic beverages. It seemed they had been riding the bus for years when they finally arrived at the Jaga Nest, when in reality they had only been riding for an hour and a half. Tahu silently prayed to something, thanking it that his apartment was just across the street and that he wouldn't be riding with Lewa anymore that night.

"Here we are!" Lewa said enthusiastically as everyone piled out of the bus as quickly as they could. "Don't wait up for me, I'll join you in a minute," He said as he rolled up some Morbuzakh leaves in a piece of paper and began smoking it.

Tahu, Kopaka and Pohatu walked into the bar. It was Friday, close to midnight by now and the bar was nearly empty as most of the usual patrons had gone to Voya Nui Music Fest. The bartender still welcomed them and gave them the drinks they wanted. Kopaka sat in a corner, sipping at a glass of cheap wine and playing his acoustic guitar. There were a few ladies in the bar who Pohatu surrounded himself with as he drank many mugs of Daxian ale. Tahu sat at the bar, drinking his usual mix of Daxian ale with a few other cheaper beers. There was one man who sat at the opposite end of the bar to Tahu who seemed unusually depressed. He was wearing a suit with a loosened tie, his mask was almost golden. He seemed to have a business like air about him although he was clearly trying to get drunk, probably to forget something.

Tahu walked over and sat beside him.

"Hello," he said.

"What do you want?" the business man asked.

"I couldn't help but notice," Tahu began before sipping at his drink and collecting his thoughts. "I couldn't help but notice your business like mannerisms. The way you act, even in this depressed and semi-drunken state, you carry yourself in the manner of a business-person."

"Well," the man began, "I used to be a manager for a popular singer but, well," he paused. "She fired me a month ago. I've been coming here every night since then and drinking. I haven't told my family yet, they think I've been working late to because the singer I used to work for has a busy schedule." He stopped and Tahu took this opportunity to interject.

"What if I told you," he began, "that a new band is rising but they don't have a manager; and they could certainly use one?"

"Really?" the man asked. "You know of a band?"

"Yes," Tahu said. "It's actually my band; the three of us who walked in together and one more outside. If you would like to be our manager, we would hire you."

"I could really use the money right about now," he said, "so I'll need some money up front."

"Does 20 pounds sterling cover it?" Tahu asked.

The manager was stunned, unsure of what to say to this question. Surely he was joking. 20 pounds sterling couldn't buy a manager.

"You're joking, right?" the manager asked.

"To tell you the truth, we don't have much money right now and I was hoping you'd just agree with promise of payment." Tahu said, realizing all too late that his plan was doomed to fail. This manager, even drunk, could see through his deception.

"I'll make you a deal," he said. "I'll sign on to your band if you let my niece join. She's a wonderful singer and she can play piano. You might also find her attractive. I've been told many times tha—"

"What?" Tahu demanded. "You can't be serious!"

"Look," the manager said, "you can't expect me to sign on with promise of payment. If you let my niece in the band, it'll be no problem. I won't manage anything for you without 700 pounds in my pocket up front, or you can let my niece in and payment can wait."

Tahu was stumped. No one had ever really outwitted him at this little game he liked to play with peoples' minds. "Fine," he said. "Your niece can join the band if you will begin managing for us without a down payment."

The manager smiled and extended his hand for Tahu to shake. "Glad to hear it," he said, "my name is Mata. I'll get right to work on managing your affairs and finding some gigs for you to play. I'll also send my n—"

"Hold it Mata," Tahu said, "first thing's first: we need a practice space."

"Well," Mata began, "I suppose you could use my basement for now. I live all the way out in Kidneypool though. I'm sure we can find sufficient sleeping arrangements for you though. Here's my address." With that, Mata passed a slip of paper with an address on it to Tahu and promptly left the building.

Lewa walked in shortly after Mata left the bar. Tahu beckoned his fellow bandmates to gather around him.

"We have a manager now," he began. There were nods of approval from each of the band members. "He's also willing to let us live in his house in Kidneypool and use his basement as a practice space. There is a catch though," everyone seemed to groan when he said this, "we have to let his niece join the band because we can't pay him up front."

"As long as she has something to offer the band," Lewa said.

"As long as she's hot," Pohatu said.

Kopaka said nothing. "Sounds good," Tahu said. "Meet here tomorrow and we'll ride over to Kidneypool. Don't forget to bring all your stuff as we most likely won't be returning here anytime soon."

With that, all four left the Jaga Nest and returned to their apartments. As Tahu lied down to sleep, he thought of where this band would take him and the fame and fortune that awaited him in the near future.


	4. Chapter 4: All About That Bass

Mata's house in Kidneypool was not quite as big as Tahu, Lewa, Pohatu, nor Kopaka had imagined. They all agreed it was quite small for someone who had previously managed an internationally syndicated performer. His basement was barely capable of housing the group's instruments and to make matters worse, there was only one guest bedroom in which all four of them would have to sleep.

Everyone had been angry by the time they had arrived. Tahu was mad because Lewa consistently blasted The Grateful Dead through the stereo; the fact the van reeked of Morbuzakh and vomit didn't ease his anger at all. Kopaka was mad because Tahu was yelling at Lewa which in turn caused Lewa to turn the radio volume up and there was never a quiet moment. Pohatu was mad because he was forced to ride in the backseat where there was little to no legroom; and Lewa was mad because everyone was mad at him.

Mata had greeted them after they parked the van in the driveway and then had shown them to their room before allowing them to unload their gear into the basement and then calling his niece.

Nobody wanted to do any practicing that day so they decided to unwind by going to a local bar called Jaller's. Mata wouldn't let them leave the house until his niece arrived though so they proceeded to try and relax in what ways they could. Lewa smoked more Morbuzakh than anyone thought was possible in such a short time, Kopaka was trying out new riffs and quietly jamming on his acoustic guitar in the basement, Pohatu was perusing Nuparu's-List on his laptop, and Tahu was helping himself to Mata's whiskey collection.

It seemed as though they had been at Mata's house for a day when in reality, it had only been two hours, before his niece arrived. When she knocked, Mata opened the door and hugged her before allowing her to come in and put her things in her reserved room. Mata always kept her room clean and free of guests so that whenever his niece came over, she was guaranteed a place to sleep. While she was getting settled in, Mata brought the others into the sitting room so that they could meet his niece.

After ten minutes of unpacking, she came into the sitting room where everyone excepting Mata was dumbstruck. She was wearing faded jeans, a t-shirt with the Union Jack printed on it, cut off near the waist and a denim jacket; her dark hair falling down to her shoulders. One thought was going through everyone's minds:

_She's beautiful._

Lewa was the first to recover from her stunning appearance and rising from the couch, he took her hand and bowed, kissing it.

"Hello, fair maiden," he said. "I am Lewa; smoker, joker and guitar player."

"Lovely to meet you," she returned, smiling slightly. "I am Gali."

Pohatu was next to rise and greet Gali.

"Pohatu," he said with a bow and upon rising added: "At your service."

Gali smiled and nodded in Pohatu's direction. Tahu was waiting for Kopaka to rise and greet the newcomer however Kopaka had no intentions of doing so, not because of his usual cold nature, but because he was nervous.

_Nervous? _He thought to himself, _Kopaka is never nervous. She's only a girl, you are a rockstar!_

As he continued his mental debate with himself, Tahu stood to talk with Gali.

"Welcome," he said. "I hear you play piano?" he added before she could reply to his salutation.

"Yes," she said, "and I also sing."

"Really?" Tahu asked, smirking. "We'll just have to see about that."

Before Gali could say anything Pohatu cut into the conversation: "Can we go to that bar now?" he asked.

Tahu rolled his eyes as Lewa picked up his keys.

"Follow me, fair damsel," he said, taking Gali by the hand and walking out to his van. Lewa wouldn't let anyone except Gali ride in the front seat, forcing everyone else into the back seats. He also refused to smoke or play any music which she did not first approve of at volumes which she approved of in her presence, which Tahu was grateful for.

Jaller's was a ten minute drive from Mata's house and Tahu was the first out of the van when they arrived. Lewa was adamant that he be the one to open the doors for Gali, pull up her chair, and even order her drink for her. She felt kind of helpless but she couldn't help giggling at the guitarist's nonchalant manner.

Kopaka was reluctant to come to the bar but when he finally decided to come, he refused to sit with the rest of the group, instead sitting in a dark corner with a small mug. Every night, there were musicians playing at Jaller's; many times the same band would play two or three nights a week. On this night a band which all the regular patrons loved was scheduled to play; they were called The Rahkshi Rockers.

The term Rahkshi came from an old tale mostly carried on by musicians. Rahkshi were a mythical race of serpentine creatures who were believed to attack people in forests. The only thing that could stop them was music. The reference in the band's name, however, was lost on most people who just enjoyed the songs they played.

The band's leader was a guitarist. Kopaka could tell from the way he walked that this guitarist was probably not very good at playing guitar. His real specialty was singing in fact. Two female backing vocalists came onto the stage, along with a drummer and a bass player. The bass player wore a suit and had a black mask, dreadlocks flowing from the top of his head. His bass guitar, which Kopaka and Lewa noticed immediately, was heavily modified. It was nearly double the size of a normal bass to accommodate the player's unusually large hands, and it had the addition of a whammy bar. This greatly interested Kopaka and he kept his gaze intently on the bassist, excepting the few times when his glance strayed to admire Gali.

"Evening gov'ners!" the guitarist began. "Are you ready to hear some sounds from the olden days?"

The crowd cheered as the female vocalists began to hum into the microphones. The bass player had his own microphone in which he began to hum deeply. Then he started playing a simple riff while the guitarist played a few simple chords the drummer tapped the hi-hat rhythmically. Then the guitarist started to wail into the microphone. He would wail for a few seconds and then he would stop and play his chord progression for a few more seconds before wailing again.

Confused expressions could be seen about the entire bar before the guitar player lost his focus and began laughing while the rest of the group brought their parts to a halt.

"We're just messing with you!" he shouted to the audience, a few of them chuckled. "For real now," he began, "it's time for real music."

The drummer started on a fill before the entire band started in sync to play _Purple Haze_ by _The_ _Jimi Hendrix Experience_. The bass player held down the rhythm section while the guitarist and drummer played loosely over it. It was quite a unique sound to all who were listening as the majority of the song was improvised at least slightly. Both Tahu and Kopaka were impressed with the bassist's skill; he was obviously keeping the other players in sync. After the song was finished, the band took a bow and started on their second song: _A Hard Day's Night _by _The Beatles_. Once again the bass player held the rhythm of the song while the guitarist and drummer played over the bassline loosely. When the time came for the guitar solo, however, the bassist took over and played it on the high strings which all the patrons of the bar thought was a pleasant change.

With that song the band had played their last and promptly exited the stage to pack their instruments and equipment. Tahu excused himself from the table at which the rest of his band was sitting to go speak with the bass player. Little did he realize that Kopaka had similar plans.

Lewa whispered into Pohatu's ear, asking him to keep Gali inside the bar while he went outside to smoke. Pohatu rolled his eyes and Lewa promptly left.

In the back of the bar, Kopaka was already speaking with the bass player named Onua. Tahu arrived backstage and broke into the conversation saying: "Hi, I'm Tahu. I'm trying to get a band together and I'm in need of a bass player."

"That's what your friend was just saying."

"Oh," Tahu said, before looking at Kopaka. "By all means, continue!"

Kopaka stepped back and coldly said: "You are more than welcome to convince as you see fit," and then promptly left the backstage area.

"Well then," Tahu said. "How would you like to join my band?"

"Seems like a decent opportunity," Onua said, "And I've been getting kind of tired of the Rahkshi Rockers. They're a great group and they let me do a lot more than any of my previous groups would but I won't reach my full potential this way."

"Well," Tahu began, "I have already gathered the greatest drummer and the greatest two guitar players I have ever witnessed. With your bass playing skills, our band would be complete."

"Well, I suppose it's an opportunity I can't pass up." Onua said. "I'll let the others know and then I'll meet you at your vehicle."

"Great," Tahu said before shaking Onua's hand and returning to the table to rejoin the rest of his band. Kopaka was still sulking in the corner.

"Well gentlemen, and lady," Tahu began, "we now have a bassist."


End file.
